Carnarvon

Seafood feast washed down
with bubbly. YUM!

We had received so many different opinions on Carnarvon, we didn't really know what to expect, and after only a short visit, the jury is still out. One things for sure, they have a big fishing fleet and some outstanding seafood. It didn't take us long to establish that the manna crabs and prawns were around, and there was plenty of whiting, so seafood feasts were the order of the day! We found a lovely wholesale place out at the "little" harbour, and went out every day to buy some beautiful seafood. The lady behind the counter, also did some specials, like her home made crab cakes which were absolutely delicious, and some butterflied sardine fillets she'd crumbed, which are also excellent. So on the seafood alone, Carnarvon scores a huge tick!

Along the waterfront & part
of the old railway. 

We chose to stay at The Wintersun Top Tourist Caravan Park, and it was very nice, and they had a pay for 2 nights, Stay 3 nights deal, and it was a pleasant surprise that the rates were reasonable, as no mining here! Around town, you get a bit of a sixties kind of feel. The coffee scene was UGH! More of a Chiko Roll and chips scene. Although in fairness, on our last day, we finally found good coffee at the Gwoonwardu Mia Gallery, an impressive building housing a nice Aboriginal gallery a little out of town. The main part of town is situated around a lovely waterway, called The Fascine. Now that is one strange name, but it apparently is the name of the sea wall engineering technique. Across the waterway from downtown, is the new residential part of town, a canal style development that has some lovely homes. The rest of town is spread out all over the place! There is a pretty large Aboriginal community, and that side of town is the usual untidy mess of unkempt houses and clapped out cars. A few kilometres away is the old wharf precinct. Here is the original old jetty, that used to head out over a kilometre into the sea, with a railway running the full length and all the way into town. They are trying to do the area up, but it appears to be on a shoe string, so at present it looks all junky. You can walk the jetty, and they do have the "Coffee Pot" train to ride on, but it was out of action whilst we were there. We opted not to do the walk, for fear of being blown out to sea! They are trying, but have a way to go out here.

Large quantities of
Tomatoes are grown.

Huge screens protect the crops.

So what do you do in a town like Carnarvon? We couldn't help thinking that the whole town was in need of a little TLC. Well, we certainly didn't want to visit the salt mine, another of Rio Tinto's Dampier Salt operations, and the biggest employer in town. The Food Trail sounded like the go, so off we went. This area is apparently a huge producer of fruit and vegetables for WA. You can't help but realise that bananas are grown here, which was a surprise, and there are lots of tomatoes, melons, corn, passion fruit, mangoes and vine crops like food grapes, pumpkin, squash, cucumber and zucchini. There is even citrus & stone fruit. BUT, as you drive around you can't help but notice all the over grown fields and ravaged trees,

Lots of bananas.

as well as loads of abandoned packing sheds and farm

The Fascine at Carnarvon.

houses. Most of the properties have signs at the front gate saying "CLOSED, NO WORK, KEEP OUT!!". We did manage to find a small number of Farm Stalls, with honesty boxes, and we did buy some beautiful fresh produce to stock up the larder, and at excellent prices. The pick of the places we visited was called Bumbak's. It was a really well kept and well run farm, with a lovely shop doing excellent preserves and jams and ice cream. The young lass behind the counter was so friendly, and we took with us a good sample from their range! Many of the fields are surrounded by huge screens, erected to keep dust off the crops, caused by all the wind, that last for months around here. Our enquiries didn't help that much. Some suggested we were just out of season (bloody long season!), and the only thing that made some sense was a huge flood back in 2009, that led to a lot of farmers leaving the land. There is a huge flood mitigation levee wall project underway at present, which seems to back this up.

HMAS Sydney Memorial
Drive.

The memorial cairn sign.

Another attraction in town was the HMAS Sydney Memorial Drive, which was sadly in need of care. Lining the drive on both sides are small headstones bearing the name of every individual sailor, all 650 of them, along with a palm tree. The wreck of HMAS Sydney was found in 2008, along with the wreck of the Kormoran, about 600 kilometers off the coast. The Sydney was sunk by a German raider called the Kormoran, in November 1941, with the loss of all 645 men. The Kormoran also went down, but some 80 or so German sailors made it to shore. The only accounts of the battle were from the German survivors, and the mystery has always remained as to how the vastly superior cruiser Sydney, ever came within the range of the Kormoran's guns and torpedos. Out along the coast to the north of Carnarvon, at a place called Quobba Point, is a memorial cairn to the HMAS Sydney, in an area where some of the German survivors came ashore.

Carolyn at Quobba Point.

Sign says it all.

It was out a Quobba Point where we found once again, that sometimes the best experiences aren't planned and don't cost you anything. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. About 60 miles to the north of Carnarvon, this area is best known for its Blow Holes, and huge waves. It is a barren and windblown area. As we walked to the edge of the low cliff line, we were hit by spray, and quickly marvelled at the enormous number of sea birds, terns and shearwaters in their thousands.

Sharks join the frenzy.

The feeding frenzy.

When we reached the edge, we saw an amazing spectacle, as we realised that the clear waters were full of huge schools of bait fish, that looked like clouds under the water, and that the birds were in a feeding frenzy, diving into the huge schools. It quickly became obvious that the birds weren't alone, as we saw the silver flashes of mackerel cutting through the huge schools of fish, and then we saw the shark fins, as dozens of sharks joined the melee. 

Huge flocks of terns at rest.

Blow Holes at Quobba Point.

We stood there transfixed. We just couldn't believe what we were witnessing. I looked around expecting to see David Attenborough, but only saw a German tourist who almost swallowed his camera, as he tried to tell his friends. We must have just stood there for 30 minutes as the spectacle moved up and down the cliff line. Some of the sharks we would estimate to be close to 3 metres long, and even though it was hard to count them, they must have numbered 25 to 30 or more, all only a few metres from shore. As we dragged ourselves away, we knew we had witnessed something very special. A couple of Rangers arrived, alerted to the amazing scene, and confirmed they had never before witnessed anything like it, then left to go get their fishing gear!! Oh, I almost forgot, the Blow Holes were pretty spectacular as well!!!

Wedge Tail Eagle takes flight.

We drove around the camp ground at Quobba Point, which was a sorry collection of old tin huts and caravans, which left us wondering why on earth you would want to camp here, without any water or shade, and howling winds. The obvious answer is fishing, but not for me! We then headed back to town, still buzzing with excitement. It must have been our day, as just as we reached the turnoff for the Salt Mine, we came across a pair of Wedge Tail Eagles sitting in the middle of the road. There was no dead carcass, just the two of them sitting there. They both slowly, almost indignantly, flew up to sit on the road sign, letting out that piercing cry as they went, but they were too big to both fit! Carolyn, then got this fantastic photo as one of the giant birds lifted off. We sure had a lot to talk about at Happy Hour!

The old OTC Satellite Tracking Dish.

The 1st at Royal Carnarvon.

The other huge thing around town you can't miss, is the old OTC Satellite Dish. It played a big part in the US space programs of the 1960's '70's and 80's. Built by NASA, it played a part in the first man on the moon, the Jupiter, Apollo and Skylab programs, and finally called it quits in 1996, after a stint owned and operated by Radio Australia. That's right folks, Tom Hanks' famous line "Houston we have a problem" came through Carnarvon! (Only kidding. I know it was just a movie!!). It is an imposing sight though, sitting on a hill just outside town. A museum is getting going, again with limited funds. We always check out the local golf course in town, so followed the signs out to the Carnarvon Golf Club. I thought we were back at Woomera! Even by sand course standards, this was ugly! I don't think you'd have trouble getting a tee time, anytime, any day!!

At the caravan park we spoke to people who come back every year, and love the place. To them we simply say, why? Spread your horizons! I'm sure it is a nice place to visit, but every year?